Lights could be dimmed and kettles take longer to boil under a future National Grid reliant on wind powered technology.

Trials have been held in the North-West of England, which has seen the voltage to homes turned down at periods when the breeze dies down.

Electricity chiefs have hailed the tests a success because the public failed to realise the reduction in energy.

However, critics of wind farms say it just magnifies the problems that come with the technology.

Chris Heaton-Harris, Conservative MP for Daventry, said, who has long campaigned about wind turbines said: “It just shows the shortcomings of gambling so much of our energy security on wind.

“Wind is intermittent and therefore not green as it needs gas turbines powering to back it up. And when the wind drops they just won’t work.

“Wind is a very expensive energy source. People have already had to pay for it in taxes for subsidies and more in bills.

“And essentially they are not getting the same amount of energy. All round it doesn’t make sense.”

Electricity North West ran the trials which saw voltage reduced when there is a lull in the winds, bringing a three per cent cut in power.

The reduction comes in with the flick of a switch.

A year-long trial has been taking place and the company said it has not had a single complaint about the power reduction.

It could now be rolled out further soon after Electricity North West began discussions with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), which considers the outcome of the firm’s trials as positive.

A DECC spokesperson said: “We welcome the wide range of innovative and smart approaches the network operators are trialling.

“These can help improve system security, allow the addition of low carbon technologies onto the electricity network and importantly, cut costs to consumer.”

The technology recently took a hit when Energy Secretary Amber Rudd revealed 250 windfarms proposals would be scrapped due to a cut in tax subsidies.

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article is owned by the author or publisher indicated. Its availability here constitutes a "fair use" as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law as well as in similar "fair dealing" exceptions of the copyright laws of other nations, as part of National Wind Watch's noncommercial effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information. For more information, click here. Send takedown inquiry or request to excerpt to query/wind-watch.org. Send general inquiries and comments to query/wind-watch.org.